Donkeys and Kings: And Other "Tails" of the Bible

Description: What do talking donkeys fasting lions and wolves playing with sheep have in common? They are all found in the Bible. Author Tripp York and illustrator Zak Upright bring to life eight different stories about animals as discovered in Scripture. York spins a different account on these stories (such as the flood Jonah as well as Daniel and the lions den) by attempting to imagine what it might mean to understand these narratives from the perspective of the animals. Though the short stories in this collection are written for children adults will take much from them as they attempt to provoke the readers to new ways of understanding some of the most popular stories in the Bible. Endorsements: With this book Tripp York participates in that venerable truth-by-parable Christian tradition in which sage storytelling trumps both clever systematic logic and avalanches of information. The literary genre may be fiction yet Yorks non-human eye-witnesses reveal again the genius of the biblical narrative. Readers are therefore invited to see once more the scandalous biblical message-a gospel too absurd for the self-assured too weak for the self-reliant and too unsophisticated for the self-righteous. --Dr. Richard C. Goode Lipscomb University In the playful spirit of Aesop and with a touch of Lewiss deeper magic Tripp York imaginatively glimpses the eternal through this strangely familiar menagerie of talking animals--fellow creatures in our great journey with God. Yorks quirky contemporary narrative voice and his creative openness to the teleology of Gods ubiquitous movement among His creation offer readers a rare and meaningful opportunity to reconsider the power of Gods Word with fresh eyes and responsive hearts. --Jeffrey D. Frame Trevecca Nazarene University About the Contributor(s): Tripp York is Visiting Assistant Professor of Religious Studies at Elon University in Elon North Carolina. He is the author of The Purple Crown: The Politics of Martyrdom (2007) and Living on Hope while Living in Babylon (Wipf & Stock 2009).